The Police Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2008

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, the Police Pensions (Purchase of Increased Benefits) Regulations 1987, the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, the Police Pensions Regulations 2006 and the Police Pension Fund Regulations 2007. These amendments make provision for such Regulations to apply to a “specified employee of SOCA”. Specified employees of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (“SOCA”) are those who immediately before joining SOCA, were serving as the Director General of the National Crime Squad, or a police member of the National Crime Squad or the National Criminal Intelligence Service. The amendments enable specified employees of SOCA to remain members of the pension scheme established by the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 and to transfer to the new pension scheme established by the Police Pensions Regulations 2006 should they so wish. The amendments also provide for the continued availability of benefits under the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 where a specified employee of SOCA is permanently disabled as a result of injury received in the execution of duty. The amendments also amend the Police Pension Fund Regulations 2007 to provide for the funding arrangements established by those Regulations to apply to SOCA in relation to its specified employees.

These Regulations also provide for a new set of compulsory retirement ages for police officers and a new entitlement for voluntary retirement under the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, making related amendments to the Police Pensions (Purchase of Increased Benefits) Regulations 1987. These Regulations also reduce the employer contributions payable by police authorities under the Police Pension Fund Regulations 2007.

These Regulations have effect from 1st April 2006 save as follows. Regulations 28 to 42 have effect from 6th April 2006. Regulation 8 only has effect from 1st April 2006 to 30th September 2006. The following regulations have effect from 1st October 2006: regulations 4, 5(2) (in so far as it inserts paragraph (5C) into regulation A6 of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987), 9, 11(2) to (4) and (6), 12 to 14, 16, 18(3), 19 and 21 to 27. Regulations 46 and 47 have effect from 1st April 2008. Retrospective effect is permitted by section 1(5) of the Police Pensions Act 1976.